


Stranded

by twitch



Category: Alice Cooper (Musician) - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Ghosts, Horror, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2015-04-15
Packaged: 2018-02-07 05:30:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1886820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twitch/pseuds/twitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Broken down in the middle of the night, desert all around, isn't the worst part of the situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Under My Wheels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Borrowed lyrics from The Beatles' _Get Back_ , except someone chose to adapt the lyrics for his own needs.

A glance in the rear-view mirror confirmed they were still being lazy bastards; two blond heads tilted in towards one another in sleep, while the third sleeping head bobbed slightly, chin creeping closer to its chest. The last passenger was seen as he let his gaze slide sideways; cheek pressed to the headrest his face was set towards the driver. Even in sleep he felt eyes upon him; slowly blinking he peered across the dim car interior. “Do you want me to drive?”

He shook his head, refocusing on the road. “Naah, I’m good.”

“At least turn on some music.”

“Stop worrying about me,” he reassured him.

“I’m not...” A short yawn gave him pause. “- worried.”

“But you are tired, and I’m not. Go back to sleep, I’m driving.” He gave his friend a quick but firm look before returning his attention to the road. From the corner of his eye he saw him nod faintly, sighing contentedly as his eyelids lowered.

It was actually peaceful, just him and the beat-up car on the long night road. Aside from the occasional snore and the one bobbing head the vehicle was quiet and still, a contrast to the concert experience they had a few hours back. Being back in Arizona had been a thrill, having been guaranteed a full house even though they weren’t in Phoenix. With a receptive crowd at their beck and call they quite possibly had their best performance in a long time. The club filled to capacity, they expected generous donations from the venue owner, but their expectations nearly wound up being their undoing.

In the van that carried all of their equipment, hidden beneath amps, cords, drums, guitars and props, a case of twenty-four had been packed, a little after-party for themselves. They smuggled it into the club, placing it under a loose floorboard that Glen had tripped on. It was a blessing at the time, but after the show, the van packed up and driving back to Los Angeles on Dennis’ gas money, they returned to the sacred grounds, a few girls accompanying them. They disappeared quickly enough when the fertile soil proved to be dry. The cans that had been painstakingly removed from the box, squeezed into three tight rows, were nowhere to be seen. 

Not about to leave without knowing happened to their beer they split up, searching the building. It was found in part by three teenage boys, sprawled out and giggling in one of the wings, just out of sight from the stage, all but three cans empty and scattered around them, and Neal and Alice stumbling across the scene. It wasn’t long until heated words became full-out yelling. The rest of the band came running, finding Alice in a shouting match with the boy his height and Neal keeping a wary eye on the one boy who was too busy being pale to goad on the fight. A little over a minute later they were all found by the club owner, Mike attempting to physically silence the interloper, Glen trying to calm Alice, and Dennis going to check on Neal and the other boy. 

“Stop yelling at my son!”

Alice stopped short upon hearing the shouted order, the unfamiliar voice being much more effective than Glen’s. The reproving face looming over all of them, even Neal, gave them all pause, but Alice didn’t stay quiet for long. “Well, you see, we have a little problem that your son could help us with,” he interjected after a length for deliberation.

Crossing his arms across his broad chest he stared down the singer with a stony expression. “It better be a worthwhile problem for yelling in his face.”

The dark chuckle that came from behind him was an irritation but Alice hid his lack of appreciation with a smile. “We happened to have lost some of our belongings, and since we last left them here, I thought that maybe he and his friends found them.”

“Oh, we found them alright,” the other boy remarked. Shrugging off Mike’s grip from his shoulder he approached Alice just as the other boy stepped out from behind him. Both wore smirks that any other day Alice would have been proud of. “They were so thoughtful.”

“Yeah, they gave us all of their beer!” the owner’s son added cheerfully.

“We didn’t give it to you, you shits stole it!” Alice snapped, pleasant demeanour gone in a flash.

The owner’s glare dropped from Alice’s livid face, glancing briefly around to the rest of the band, expressions caught in various degrees of defeat and disbelief, before lowering to the ground, cans around all of their feet. “I told you that there was to be no alcohol in my club, and not only do you bring it in here, but you also peddle it to minors? All five of you are shits! Get the hell out of here before I call the police on you!”

Mike clenched his fist, no doubt imagining that his hand was still on the one boy, probably around his neck. “We’ll be out of here, but we’ll be waiting in the parking lot, because we have no gas for our car!”

“Next time you should spend your money on gas instead of beer,” the owner mentioned, turning his attention and frustrations to Mike. “Remember that at your next concert, which won’t be here!” 

Glen shook his head, giving up his role as peacemaker as he too glared at the owner. “It may as well be here, since we need money to get out of your parking lot!”

The voices raised a few more decibels as a new argument emerged; the two boys grinned at one another, about to open their last beers, stopping only upon realising that Neal and Dennis were staring at them, holding up the third boy between them. His face was looking less pale, flushed to match his sweaty skin. His head swayed in time with his whole body before he completely tensed from the waist upwards. Neal let go of the boy as the two boys took two steps back, leaving only Dennis to stop him from hitting the ground, emptying himself of everything he consumed that night. The fight came to a stand-still, the four men finding it hard to ignore the sudden stench. 

Even with his make-up Alice turned an ashen shade as he looked down upon the mess. “This would be the perfect time to take your advice and leave, because I’m not cleaning that up.”

“I’m coming with you.” Trying not to breathe while nodding at the same time, Glen followed after the hastily retreating Alice. 

Mike started after them, stopping to check if Neal and Dennis were following. Neal was standing a little ways behind Dennis, as ready as everyone else to leave, but Dennis was still crouched down beside the sick boy. “You do plan on coming, right?” Mike asked.

Neal turned his face towards Mike but remained as he was, waiting for Dennis. “I’m not staying any longer than I have to,” Neal replied, hoping his words would encourage Dennis to act or say something.

“I’ll be a few minutes.” Finally lifting his head, Dennis looked at the club owner, voice calm and expression pointed, but giving nothing away of his intentions. 

Neal and Mike hesitated for just a second as they stepped out through the stage entrance, into the hallway that led to the backdoor. Suppressing smiles they took several more steps, getting them out of sight but close enough to hear whatever Dennis was about to do.

Outside Alice paced the length of their borrowed car, jaw clenched and arms and hands gesturing erratically. "This is ridiculous! Where does he get off blaming us for his kid’s idiocy? That was stolen property, our property!”

“Thieves,” Glen muttered, gingerly leaning against the car. “Next time we leave it in the van, or the car, some place only we know where it is.”

“Brilliant idea, too bad we didn’t put that into effect three hours ago,” Alice remarked. Having not worn out his aggravation through his paces he heaved a heavy sigh, joining Glen at the front of the car, sitting on the hood. The car shuddered and the two of them jumped away in alarm. “Whose idea was it to borrow Tim’s car?”

Glen shook his head slowly, carefully keeping an eye on the car to make sure it wouldn’t make any more protests. “The same person who realised that no one else was going to let us borrow their car.” 

“He shouldn’t have given it to us, because now it’s going to be stuck out here.” The urge to resume pacing itched at his feet but he stayed put, his frustration welling up even more the longer he stared at the car. “Do we have any extra money?”

“Dennis had all our money, until he had to give it away so the van could make its return trip,” Glen reminded.

“This is so fucked up.” Tilting his head back, whining to the moon, Alice closed his eyes. The car gave a rattle, the tail end sinking as Alice opened his eyes. “Oh no, not you baby, I’d never bad mouth you. We’ll give you your life blood, we aren’t going to make you suffer.” He ran his hand over the front passenger door, a loving touch. “Alice is giving you his solemn vow.”

Biting his lip to keep from laughing at the lover’s spat, Glen crossed his arms, tucking his hands under his elbows. “What’s taking them so long? Neal has the keys and I’m cold.”

“Maybe he’s begging for money out in the front of the club, so we can get you some gas. How does that sound, Em?”

Glen gave Alice’s back a dubious look, the singer too occupied by buffing the broken side mirror. “Did you just call that thing Em?”

“It’s a car, and her name is Em.” Alice glanced back to Glen, realising there was a need for elaboration upon seeing Glen’s blank look. “Em, short for Emerald, as in the colour, as in her beautiful paint job.”

Unless he was missing something, Glen saw no beauty in the chipping green paint, but didn’t make a verbal note of it. “Of course.”

With an aggravated huff Alice turned around. “You have no eye for beauty.”

“Yes I do, but I can’t see how a broken down sheet of metal held together by rubber bands and luck can be beautiful,” Glen pointed out.

Spinning around Alice jabbed fingers to Glen’s chest. “Don’t speak of a lady like that!” The laughter that Glen couldn’t hold back any longer made Alice pause in his jabbing; the corner of his mouth curved up, but he quickly caught it and glared. “Don’t laugh!”

“You can’t be serious,” Glen choked out between laughs.

“I’m always serious,” he replied, not entirely convincing with the little smile that was creeping onto his face again.

“Why are you poking Glen?” Neal’s voice called out, interrupting their friendly argument.

Alice and Glen looked up, surprised to see not just Neal but also Mike and Dennis, only a few steps away. “I’m not poking, I’m caressing,” Alice corrected, stroking Glen in much the same way he had been stroking the car.

Shaking his head but smiling, Glen backhanded his fingers away. “I was offending his lady.”

“Who?” Mike asked, looking around the parking lot, but finding no one else but themselves.

“Never mind.” Glen stopped short his waving hand, extending it to Neal. “Hand over the keys, I’d rather wait in the car than freeze out here.”

“Actually, we don’t need to wait anymore,” Neal mentioned.

Alice and Glen glanced at one another, clearly confused, before Alice turned his attention back to Neal. “When we have no money for gas, we can’t get all that far.” He spoke slowly, as if reminding a forgetful child. “Remember the nearly empty gas tank?”

“We remember,” Neal assured him, expression turning smug. “There’s just one thing you don’t know.”

“Dennis saved your ass,” Mike gloated.

“No I didn’t,” Dennis interjected. “Tim needs his car back for the afternoon, but in order to get the car back on time we need money. So I happened to point out a few details about tonight to the owner. He became very eager to see us out of the city, so he might have given me some funds for our cause.”

The smirk was still firmly in place on Mike’s face. “Still sounds like ass-saving to me.”

“It probably is, and I am taking it as compliment,” Dennis acknowledged, his eyes conveying his amusement. “I just didn’t want to appear completely self-centred.”

“Ass-saving or not, why are we still here? Let’s go!” Glen shooed them to the car, eager to get out of the cold.

Aside from the few minutes spent filling up on gas they didn’t waste time. He hadn’t argued when they insisted he’d drive, knowing that he was the cause of most of their problems tonight. They also insisted that Dennis take the seat of honour for his quick thinking. Without the usual fire of alcohol in their bodies the post-show adrenaline abated faster than usual; it didn’t take long for the three of them to get cozy in the backseat and fall asleep. They slept soundly while he and Dennis double checked the map, deciding to take the same route out that led them into Tucson. By the time the city lights were just specks in the rear and side mirrors Dennis was sleeping as well.

An hour after Phoenix joined Tucson in their past, and driving around another bend in the road, Alice grinned. Drumming his fingers softly on the wheel he sang lowly. “Jo Jo was a man who thought he was a loner, but he knew it wouldn’t last.”

The other occupants of the car didn’t even breathe out of turn at the change in volume.

“Jo Jo left his home in Tucson Arizona, for some California grass – Get back!” He smacked the wheel with his whole hand, the sound reverberating through the car. Silencing himself he looked around; no one had moved yet, but not wanting to push his luck he kept the singing to that. He tapped his hands lightly but otherwise focused on the long road ahead of him, and not on the sleepers around him. 

Shrugging his shoulders, getting a satisfying crack in his right shoulder as he lifted it up, Alice started humming the refrain. Eyes scanned over the landscape, from road to desert to the endless dark of the sky, penetrated only by the moon. A distant cry reminded him that the peace surrounding him was deceptive; all sorts of animals lived out in the seeming emptiness of the desert, the stronger preying on the smaller ones. In the car they were sheltered from the savagery, or at least for the time. Back in Los Angeles they would be exposed to a different kind of savageness. 

Too occupied in his thoughts he didn’t see dust and sand blow up along the side of the road, an outline of a human body half-concealed by the debris. 

“Sweet Loretta – no – Sweet Alice Cooper thought she was a woman, but she was another man,” he sang lightly, grinning with his revised lyrics, unable to keep the song to rest. “All the girls around her said she’s got it com-”

A blur darted across his line of vision, from his left and into the road. His eyes widened as a he found himself staring straight into the eyes of a young girl caught between the headlights of the car, less than eight feet from him. Not trusting the car to stop in time, Alice swerved the car to the right, off the pavement and into the desert. Fishtailing and spinning, throwing sand and rock into the air, he fought with the wheel, slamming his foot back and forth from the gas and the brake. Heart pounding madly it finally stopped as the car slammed to a noisy stop of its own, jarring all of the occupants.

Chest and stomach tender, crunched up against the steering column along with his nose, Alice listened to the pained yelps from the backseat. His head was feeling less than stable so with glazed eyes he glanced in the back mirror; Glen and Neal were glaring at one another accusingly, rubbing their heads. 

“What the hell was that for?” Neal demanded.

“I’m sorry, I’ll keep my head to myself next time!” Glen retorted. “You should try the same thing!”

“Not you, I’m asking Alice.” Wincing as he turned his head forward Neal met Alice’s eyes in the mirror. “There better be a good reason why you crashed us.”

“Someone jumped into the road!” Alice defended. He slowly straightened up, gingerly touching his own head. Blood trickled down from his nose, dripping to his shirt and his pants and sparkling like rubies. Blinking in confusion and pain he opened his door. He barely opened it an inch when the whole door fell off. Stumbling out of the car, dazed but determined, he gestured out to the highway, a good thirty feet from where the wreck of a car was. “There was a girl, she came out of nowhere!”

“At this time of night? You had to have been imagining things.” Despite his reprimanding Glen climbed out of the car, making sure to be gentler with his door than Alice had been. Neal followed feet first, keeping his head as far away from Glen’s as possible. Wrapping his arms tight around him Glen nodded at Alice. “So where is she?”

“I told you, on the road!” Grabbing Glen by the arm, Alice dragged him back to the highway. They cringed with each step, struggling through the sand and uneven ground. Neal easily passed them by, despite still rubbing his head with his hand. “Do you see her?” Alice yelled.

“I don’t see anything!” Away from the shelter of the mountains, the wind tangled Neal’s hair as he looked up and down the road, then all around. “Are you sure it was a kid?”

“It wasn’t an animal! The last time I checked, animals don’t wear dresses.” Heaving and clutching his ribs Alice climbed onto the paved surface. Hazarding to straighten up he looked around. By the moonlight he could barely make out the skid marks he left behind from swerving off the road. Still inspecting the road he saw some darker splotches where the marks sharply turned. Bending over carefully he pressed his fingers to the splotches. To his alarm his hand came up wet and sticky, and closer to his eyes they had a distinct rusty brown tone. “Shit, I hit her!”

“A kid would not be up in the middle of the night, let alone out in the middle of nowhere,” Glen argued. “What kind of a parent would do that to their own child?”

“Not a real parent.” Rubbing his hand over his face, adding to his own blood which had by now dried up around his mouth, Alice frowned. “Okay, so if I hit her-”

“There is no girl!” Glen protested.

“-She couldn’t have gotten far.” Alice continued to think aloud, ignoring his friend. “She probably crawled off. Okay Glen, you look on this side of the road, I’ll take the other side. Neal, you take the road.”

Glen shook a fist at the back of Alice’s head as Alice turned to look at Neal. Neal tried to not pay much attention to Glen, and succeeded as he remembered the car and its remaining occupants. “I’m going to check on Mike and Dennis instead,” Neal offered.

Sinking back into the sand he listened to Alice giving orders to Glen, still clear by the time he got back to the car. His feet dug deeper as he stopped, peering inside the vehicle; neither Mike nor Dennis had moved at all since they left. Worry starting to creep in he walked around to the far side of the car, only stopping when he realised a good majority of the side was obstructed by a large boulder that they slammed into. Crawling into the backseat from the driver’s side, he took Mike’s hand in his, turning his arm over to feel for his pulse. Relief washed over Neal and he shook Mike’s arm. “Mike, wake up.” Stubborn in his unconsciousness it took Neal to shake him by his shoulder to get him to open his eyes. “Mike, come on.”

With a deep groan Mike pursed his lips together, slumping deeper into his seat. “Why do I have a distinct feeling that Tim is going to really hate us?” he mumbled.

“Hate us, maybe. Hate Alice, definitely.” Backing out the car he bumped his head yet again. Cursing and rubbing his head at the same time, he gestured for Mike with his other hand. “You’ve got to come out this way, your side is blocked.”

“Oh sure, inconvenience me, that’s not a problem.” He lifted himself, hands on his seat, but with a hiss he aborted the movement. Instead Mike shuffled down the seat, pulling himself along with his feet and his left arm. He had just stood up when he realised that Dennis was still in the car. “You haven’t checked on Dennis yet?”

“I thought I’d help you first,” Neal replied. He waited all of two seconds, watching Mike scoot back in, before getting into the driver’s seat. At some point of the accident the front seats had jammed all the way forward, making it very difficult to get his long legs in. “Has he moved yet?”

“No.” Mike tried to get as far forward as possible to get a good look but Neal had blocked his way. “The window is broken, so be careful.”

Checking and finding another pulse Neal shook Dennis by his shoulder. Rather than wake up his head sunk down to the right, far enough to reveal a large dark glistening patch of something on the section of the rock that broke the window. “Don’t tell me that’s blood.”

Mike stretched his arm across and past the headrest, twisting to dab his fingers against the mysterious darkness. Bringing his hand back inside he smelled his fingers, only to recoil. “It’s blood.”

What relief he felt upon feeling Dennis’ pulse faded; he tried to get closer to have a better look, but his longer limbs were too much of a hindrance in the cramped space. “Shit, I can’t see anything.”

“Let me try.” After another struggle to get out of the car Neal fell to his hands and knees in the sand, Mike barely missing his fingers as he climbed into the front. He flipped over, settling into a seated position to observe. Mike stayed in the driver’s seat for several seconds before deciding to climb over the console, precariously balancing himself over Dennis’ leg, body and head hunched over. With an audible shudder Mike quickly looked away from the gashes cutting up his face, glass and pieces of rock visible around the blood that coated him from forehead down to mouth and jaw. “It’s pretty clear why he’s unconscious.”

Cringing at the implication Neal stood up. “Do you think you can get him out?”

“It would be easier if he was conscious, but I think I can.” Forcing a frown from his face Mike studied Dennis then the car, trying to figure out the best approach. His forearm grazed Dennis’ cheek as he reached for the headrest, needing the support to push himself away. Mike’s skin came back dampened with blood, and he could see some more blood pooling over Dennis’ face. Urgency chose that moment to strike, and while trying to manoeuvre his own way into the driver seat he was already trying to ease Dennis out of the seat, Dennis' head cushioned on his chest. It took some time, repositioning himself or Dennis, gasping in pain, or simply catching his breath. Breathing through his mouth, Dennis hair tickling his nose, he rolled his eyes at Neal, who had spent the last three minutes giving him directions, but otherwise not assisting. “Could you try helping next time?”

“Of course, I’ll make sure to cause an accident just so I can help you.” With a smirk Neal finally moved in to help, freeing Mike from where he was trapped in the driver’s seat, Dennis’ prone body heavy against his. “It would have helped if Dennis could have done it himself.”

“As you can see, that’s somewhat impossible at the moment.” Mike directed his retort with a snarky tone and a shake of his head, turning his head completely to the road upon hearing Alice yelling for Glen. “What are they doing out there?”

“Searching for the girl that Alice claims he hit.” Snorting faintly Neal crouched down, inspecting Dennis face. His own face fell as his fingertips were stained red. “That is a lot of blood.” 

Curling his sticky fingers into his palm Mike tried to not show his nerves. “That could mean nothing, aren’t head wounds supposed to bleed a lot?” 

“Yeah, but blood loss still isn’t a good thing,” Neal pointed out. Carefully he angled up Dennis head, seeing as Dennis wasn’t able to do it himself. “Or being unconscious for this long.”

Pressing his fist into the back of his head, still resisting the urge to outright panic, Mike looked around at a loss. His eyes widened as he saw Alice and Glen noisily approach the car. What they were discussing didn’t really register to him, his mind too occupied with other things. “So did you find a kid?”

“No kid, no parents, no coyotes, nothing,” Glen replied while Alice glowered, arms crossed tight over his chest. 

“I wasn’t imagining things,” Alice muttered, still glaring at the air in front of him.

“Can we please end this discussion now? We’ve got other things to worry about, like finding any sign of life out here to help us and getting to a hospital,” Neal pointed out.

“We don’t need a hospital, we’re walking and talking.” Alice swept his hand out, gesturing to the four of them standing around. “What we really need is a tow-truck.”

“Have you forgotten your math lessons that fast?” Not waiting for an answer, Neal stepped aside, giving Glen and Alice a clear view of Dennis, awkwardly positioned in the driver’s seat and not moving. 

At first gawking, Alice tentatively tip-toed up beside Dennis, bending over long enough to see the mess his face was in; hastily he back-treaded, bumping into Glen who also stepped forward to look. “What happened to him?” Alice demanded. 

“You smashed into the boulder, and it broke the window along with his face,” Mike answered swiftly, not bothering to be polite with his words. “Not to mention, you and the boulder broke my shoulder. You’re doing real great tonight Alice, going three for three for a complete total of destruction. I’d applaud you, but my arm is somewhat unusable at this point.”

“Do me a favour, and shut up.” With practiced speed Alice was in front of Mike, the two glaring eye to eye. Standing up straighter Alice stared him down. “You want me to say I fucked up? I did, I admit it. I could have had all five of us thrown in jail because of the beer. I certainly didn’t get us paid tonight, so we could have been stuck in Tucson for a very long time. And I know that you won’t let me forget about smashing the car for an equally as long time. I’m sorry that you broke your arm, but at least it’s only broken and you’re not dead. I saw someone in the road, and I panicked. Was it a stupid move? Yeah, but haven’t you done some stupid, fucked up things, in your lifetime?”

With his uninjured left arm Mike shoved Alice back with all the strength he could muster. Combined with his anger it sent Alice stumbling back several steps. “Yeah, I can admit to that, but my stupidity hasn’t put other people out cold or into traction,” Mike snapped.

Alice’s glare weakened and he looked away, his gaze conveniently falling on Dennis. His expression lost all of its intensity as he closed his eyes. “How long has he been unconscious for?”

Ticking his fingers up, Neal thought to himself, taking into account what all he had seen and done. “Nearly ten minutes,” he replied at last.

“Uh, guys?” They looked up abruptly, taken aback by the nervousness in Glen’s voice. “Are we sure he’s only unconscious? He could, possibly...” Inhaling deeply he pressed his lips together into a thin line, lowering his eyes and pitch, before speaking to the ground. “Could he be in a coma?”

Unable to take any more bad news Mike groaned, collapsing back first to the car, his hand covering his face. With what sounded like a dying wheeze, accented by a distinct rattle of loose metal, the car shook then crashed to the ground, the weight of the car suddenly no longer bearable to the wheels. Mike jumped away guiltily at the same time a hubcap popped free, conveniently flying at Glen’s shin, smacking him for his suggestion.

Eyes sinking shut again Alice spoke the words on everyone’s mind, voice loud and ringing through the night.

“Oh shit.”


	2. Dead Babies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Broken down '63 Chevy - capsized - leave them to wander the highway in search of help.

The sand shimmered in the air, the force of the impact loosening it from the ground. For several seconds it rebelled against gravity, before finally deciding to slowly descend. The car still vibrated, metal moaning and creaking as it settled into place, but otherwise everyone stayed quiet for a long awkward moment.

Putting his foot back to the ground, realising that no amount of rubbing would take away the pain, Glen looked around. Despite Mike’s unintentional attack on the car, everyone was glaring at him. “I’m... just saying...” Dark expressions darkening, Glen shrunk in on himself, diverting his gaze. “I’ll stop saying things now.”

“Good idea.” Neal’s words could have stung more, but the faint smirk he wore lightened their impact. “Tim did say the car was ready to die, I just don’t think he planned on us murdering it.”

“Is there anything salvageable to it?” Alice asked, not ready to give up all hope. Neal lifted a shoulder in a shrug before he and Alice set to inspecting the car from all sides, leaving Glen to sigh, turning to stare out at the distant road.

Dragging his hand from his face Mike stared down at the ground, listening to the car as it continued to moan. It took him a few seconds to notice that the timbre was different, sounding sharper, like it was in pain. From the corner of his eye he thought he saw a few sparse grains of sand catching the moonlight, but then he saw fingers trembling ever so slightly. Sliding in his rush he landed on his knees, banging them against the car frame as he grabbed Dennis’ hand. “Dennis!” 

The muscles in Dennis’ face were just as restless as his fingers; it took several more seconds until his eyes opened, heavy-lidded and trying to focus on the blurry five-headed face beside him. “Why are we stopped?”

Having heard Mike’s exclamation, Glen skidded to a stop behind Mike. “Alice decided he wanted to crash the car,” Glen replied breathlessly.

“How are you feeling?” Mike asked, tightening his hand around Dennis’.

“My head is absolutely killing me.” Grimacing as if to prove his point Dennis lifted his free hand to his face, his fingers coming up short, barely grazing his skin as Mike swatted his hand away. 

Mike fixed him with a stern expression. “Don’t touch it.” Not entirely listening to him, preferring to look at his five heads bemusedly, Dennis brought his hand back up, only to have it swatted again. Several more swats later Mike was holding onto both his hands. “Do I have to hold your hands for the rest of the night?” 

Ready to retort Dennis opened his mouth, pausing as he registered the smudges of red coating Mike’s hand and arm. “Is that... whose blood is that?” Dennis asked.

Mike didn’t answer, gaze darting aside to not look at Dennis. Hesitatingly Glen answered in his stead. “It’s... well... you hurt yourself pretty badly.”

His head choosing that moment to throb in an excess of agony, Dennis slumped back in his seat, squeezing his eyes shut with a pained exhale. “Oh.”

His shoulder starting to ache in its raised position, Mike released Dennis’ one hand, but tightened his grip on the disobedient one. “Hey, keep your eyes open.”

“Do you think Tim would appreciate it if I told him his car looks a whole lot better now?” Alice mentioned, as he and Neal finished their circuit around the car.

“Not unless you want to have your nose broken for a second time,” Neal remarked. He cocked his head at seeing Glen and Mike back at what once was the driver’s door, Mike holding onto Dennis’ hand, their fingers curled together. “He’s awake?”

“Barely.” With a nod Glen straightened up. “And trust me, I’m glad to be proven wrong.”

Squeezing past Glen, and crouching beside Mike, Alice looked up at Dennis, relief and chagrin dancing over his face. “I completely wrecked the car,” Alice confessed.

Dennis managed a small smile. “I told you I should drive.”

“We need to get to a gas-station – or a restaurant or a house. We need to find someplace with a phone we can use,” Neal pointed out, gesturing for Alice to stand. “No one is going to find us when we’re out in the middle of nowhere, so we need to start walking.”

“How far back was the last town we passed?” Glen asked.

Alice pursed his lips together, first in concentration, before they tightened. “Um...”

“How much further is it to the next town?” Mike asked, hoping a different question would get an answer.

“I’m not...” Alice cringed, still racking his brain, “...sure.”

Dennis looked just as worried as Alice. “Do you remember passing by any houses?”

“No!” Throwing his hands up, clenching at air before grasping his hair, he started pacing. Doing the same routine from Tucson he paced alongside the car. “We drove through Phoenix two hours ago, but I have no idea what we last passed through, or when!”

“I guess we’ll have to try both directions,” Glen realised. “Who wants to go which way?”

“It doesn’t matter to me, but it would make sense if Dennis and I go together,” Alice pointed out.

Dennis tried for a nod, but didn’t even manage an inch before he was groaning. He cupped the back of his head, waiting for the pain to subside to something tolerable. “I’m going to need a few seconds to get up.” 

“Sounds good, you two keep going forward, we’ll go back,” Mike offered. Standing up he let his fingers slide free of Dennis’. Carefully holding his arm still he looked back to Alice. “Are we going to meet back here at some point?” 

“That might be a bit difficult, because I don’t think anyone’s wearing a watch,” Neal pointed out. 

Stilling his pacing, Alice tilted his head in consideration. “How about we come back here at sunrise?”

Glen’s scepticism was apparent in his voice, even though he carefully schooled his features. “There’s one option.”

“It looks like our only option.” Sounding just as doubtful, Neal shook his head. “Alright, off we go.” 

Dennis watched as Neal and Glen started for the road. Alice had taken several steps as well, but had stopped upon realising he hadn’t gotten up. Not wanting to hold up the search party any longer he pushed himself out of the seat. Mike offered him a hand up, which he took, only to take it and the man down, the both of them yelping and cursing.

Alice took a tentative step back to the car, glancing nervously to Neal and Glen, who had stopped upon hearing the commotion. “Come on Dennis,” he coaxed. “We have the open road to explore, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” It took him a moment to figure out which arms belonged to whom, but at last he wrapped his hands around Dennis’ elbows. “Come on, get up.” Disregarding his moans of protest Alice tugged Dennis, dragging him several paces before Dennis cried out. Alice stopped, tilting his head down to get a better look at Dennis, which was rather difficult with his hair hanging over his face. “What did I do now?”

“Not – you.” Voice tight and pained Dennis tried to shake his hair back, only succeeding in tangling it up. His head pounding at the movement he collapsed back first to the ground, or as much as he could with Alice holding onto his arms. “My leg...”

Pushing up awkwardly with his good arm, Mike inched his way over. The problem presented itself easily enough, evident by how Dennis’ right lower leg was twisted, swollen underneath fabric that should have been loose but now was taut over his limb. “Can you put any weight on it?” Mike asked.

Dennis lifted his head long enough to flash him a wry look. “Considering how I knocked you over when I tried to, no. It’s too painful.”

Releasing his grip Alice took a step back, arms dead at his sides. “Shit, I’m really doing horribly tonight.” 

“I’m not blaming you,” Dennis assured him, leaning far enough back to look up to Alice’s downcast face. “I’m just stating facts. I’m in no condition to be walking. I’ll just stay here, and make sure the car doesn’t break apart anymore.”

Quick glances were shared all around, none of which Dennis caught until Glen looked at him. “One of us should stay with you,” Glen said. 

“I can’t cause any trouble when I’m like this.” Dennis gestured from his head down to his leg, then to Neal. “Besides, you said it yourself. We’re in the middle of nowhere, and the car isn’t close enough to the road to be seen by anyone passing by. Four of us out on the road is better than three. I’ll be alright on my own.”

“Well, to be honest, I don’t know how much of a help I will be either,” Mike added. Slowly rising, holding onto his arm by his elbow, he swayed on his feet. “I hit my head pretty hard, and my shoulder isn’t great either. I’d wind up slowing you down.”

“You two take care of yourselves, the three of us will be just fine on our own,” Neal assured them. From his position on the ground Dennis was unable to see the thankful looks that Neal and Mike exchanged. Turning his gaze to Glen, another idea came to Neal. “Actually, you and Alice should go together. I’ll be good on my own.”

Alice balked at the suggestion. “What? I don’t need a babysitter.”

Mike quickly twisted his face to the side as he walked across to the car, keeping his grin out of sight. Neal and Glen had no need to disguise their reactions, their expressions unaffected by Alice’s protest, even if they were smiling on the inside. “You might look like you’re perfectly fine, but you hit your head too. It’s just a precaution,” Glen explained.

“And what kind of precautions will Neal take, all by himself?” Alice challenged, lifting his chin up and jerking it in his direction.

“I’ll be careful.” Nodding his head, his confidence was apparent, even though Alice had his own doubts. “Come on, let’s get going.”

Glen looped a companionable arm around Alice’s sagging shoulders, biting back a smile as he and Alice started in the opposite direction of Neal. Mike watched them until they reached the road, turning his attentions back to Dennis, lying in the sand for lack of ability to do anything else. “Do you want to stay where you are, or do you want to move?”

Dennis shuffled himself off his elbows, resting his hands on the ground once he was sitting up right. He studied the imprints of his crash and subsequent tugging through the sand, before glancing around, his eyes at last settling on the car. “I’d probably be more comfortable leaning against the car.” Pushing with his good leg and pulling himself along with his hands he shuffled his way backwards.

Chuckling faintly Mike approached him, stepping up behind him to block his way. “Let me show you the easier way.” When no resistance was voiced he crouched down, putting his arm around Dennis’ back before standing up again. The two of them wavered as they waited to find balance, Dennis’ arm about to go around his shoulders but instead wrapping around Mike’s back. 

“And this way I won’t get sand in my clothes,” Dennis remarked as they walked, well, Mike walked and he hobbled to the car.

“Even better.” Flashing a grin Mike let Dennis shift his weight so he was leaning against the car before letting him go. The back door gave him a smooth slope as he slid down, his back still pressing once he was seated. “How is that?”

“A bit better.” He had to angle his face away from the car, his temple pressed against the cool metal. The flare of pain intensified as he winced. With narrowed eyes Dennis watched Mike as he lowered himself to sit beside him. “And you?”

“I should survive,” Mike replied. “That is, if the others return in a few hours with good news.”

“Not too high an expectation,” Dennis commented, voice heavy with exhaustion.

Mike glanced over, seeing that Dennis’ eyes were falling closer to being shut with each passing second. Jostling him firmly by his arm Mike spoke. “Keep your eyes open, you can’t fall asleep with your head injury.”

“What do you recommend I do then?” Dennis asked, head lulling against his shoulder.

“I... I’ll...” The ground and the car weren’t all that comfortable, but it didn’t take long for his body to relax, now that he wasn’t standing or awkwardly holding his arm. “I’ll think of... something.”

Dennis head dipped in time with his eyes. “Like what?”

Mike never answered, the black having taken a hold of him seconds before it reclaimed Dennis.

*

Glen’s arms had found their way crossed tightly in front of him again. The pace Alice had set for them was brisk enough to stave off some of the cold, but not all of it. His fingers wiggled underneath his elbows, toasty unlike the rest of him. “I can barely see anything.”

Alice narrowed his eyes, focussing on the looming shadows in the distance, mountains and a few scrawny trees, but no houses or cars. “That’s because there’s nothing out here to be seen.”

Growling under his breath Glen stomped his feet harder, more for the comfort of hearing something other than their soft breathing and brief exchanges of words. “I’m never going to let you drive again.” 

“That sounds like a brilliant idea.” Alice shut his eyes for several seconds, relying on the empty road that he wouldn’t walk into anything. The darkness was meant to help him concentrate on his breathing, the slightly pained exhales and inhales, but on the edge of his mind he registered a soft voice. Opening his eyes he glanced around, but all he could see was sand, rock and more sand. Groaning he lifted his hand to pinch his nose, aborting the move at the last minute, remembering that it hurt even more than his ribs, palming his head instead. “If I knew any better I’d say we’ve been walking around in circles. It all looks the same!”

“The majesty of a night in the wilds of Arizona,” Glen scoffed. “And it doesn’t look much different during the day.”

“Well, now it has the very attractive landmark of a ’63 Chevy capsized on the highway,” Alice mentioned.

Chuckling faintly Glen glanced over to him. “Capsizing is for ships.”

“Which makes it all the more a unique and important landmark,” Alice pointed out.

“Says our tour guide of the old highway 10.” Yawning Glen lifted his hand as Alice lowered his. Pulling at his hair, hoping the tug of pain at his scalp would wake him up, he shook his head. “I never would have thought I’d say this, but I can’t wait to get into my lumpy bed.”

“I just want a beer.”

“That sounds good too.”

“Damn kids.” Sympathy for the one kid who was sick on the ground darted into his brain, and left just as quickly. Back to scowling Alice glared down past the curve of the road. His mood lifted as he noticed the remains of a sign, now just a hunk of wood embedded in the earth, the metal sticking out of the wood evidence of another reckless driver. He started to elbow Glen, point it out in his defence, but upon hearing the soft voice again he grabbed Glen’s arm instead. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Glen looked around, breeze toying with his hair. 

“Someone’s calling out to us!” Expression brightening he yelled out to the faraway voice. “Come on Glen, someone’s out here looking for us!”

Still twisting in each direction, peering into the darkness surrounding them, Glen shook his head. “But I don’t see anyone.” 

“Heeey!” Alice yelled out, cupping his hands around his mouth. “We can hear you!” An animal cried in the distance, loud enough to stop Alice and Glen short. Several quiet seconds later no more cries sounded, but the voice did, much closer than it was previously. “We can hear you, but where are you?”

The breeze whipped harder, throwing Glen’s hair into his face. “Where?” 

For a moment Alice agreed with the question. Eyes narrowed, breath caught in his chest as though the lack of breathing wouldn’t distract him, he scanned the roadside, eyes drifting one way down the road then the other. Turning around to check the other side his breath gusted out past his lips. Standing only a few feet behind Glen stood the same girl who caused their accident, white faced and white-dressed. Alice stared in disbelief; his gaping mouth slowly curved up into what he hoped was a calming smile. It must have not worked because the girl backed up as he took several steps forward. “It’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you,” Alice assured her, voice kind and soothing.

Standing straight, Glen’s eyes slowly glanced left then backwards, following Alice’s line of vision. “Hurt who?”

Whether it was Glen’s question or another ill-timed step taken by Alice the girl spun around, running away. Alice straightened up from his half-crouched position, racing after the girl. “Please, I need your help!” he yelled.

“What the hell?” Turning around completely Glen started into a sprint but was pushed back before he could take a third step, the whipping breeze transforming into a full out gust, catching his chest. He stumbled back in surprise, but pressed forward undaunted. “Alice, wait-” The next gust of wind struck him from head to toes, strong enough to knock him clear off his feet. Some act of self-preservation kicked in and he tucked his chin down, saving his head from impacting the ground. His shoulders hit the pavement, throbbing for several seconds while Glen blinked up to the sky, moon dancing above him mockingly.

Wincing he pushed himself up into a seated position, holding himself up with his arms angled out behind him. The position seemed to stretch his shoulders, but after looking around the street his limbs tensed up. The wind was still bullying him, pulling at hair and clothes, but Alice was no longer in sight. “Alice?” Glen waited half a beat before yelling. “Alice!”

No one, animal or man, answered his call.

His chest shook in a silent laugh. “Neal is going to kill me.”

*

Inclining his head Neal strained to hear the call again. Instead all he heard was the bluster of wind. “Just my imagination,” he mumbled to himself, before setting foot in front of foot again.

Without anyone at his side to distract him he let his attentions roam, looking out over the desert and the highway. Much like his friends he found the sameness of it all disorienting, but maybe that was because of hitting his head twice. He didn’t hit his head all that hard, at least in comparison to Dennis and Mike. Those thoughts spurred him into taking longer strides, not wanting to leave them alone with their injuries for too long. He wouldn’t be surprised if Dennis lost consciousness again. At least Mike agreed to stay at the car, keeping an eye on him.

Frowning in concentration he kept looking for some sign of life, but he hadn’t even seen a snake or spider in the sparse bush on the side of the road, let alone in the road. It seemed like the only people around was him and the others, and he hadn’t seen Alice or Glen in half an hour, possibly even longer. The moon looked like it wasn’t as high as it had been when they first climbed out of the car, but he wasn’t the best judge of that.

“Fuck, where is a house when you really need one?” Letting the wind push the hair out of his face he blinked wearily, mentally cursing the boots he wore. Walking for as long as he had, his feet were past the point of aching, but he wasn’t going to stop. It was his idea to look for help. Even though no one was there to see him take a five minute break he would know what he had done, the knowledge alone making him guilty. Well, maybe a two minute break wouldn’t hurt; it would certainly bring relief to his feet even if he wasn’t sitting down. 

With a drawn out breath he stumbled to a stop, hands braced on his thighs. His feet protested at first, weight fully pressed over them, before relaxing. As the pain started to creep out from his soles, sinking into the road, his eyes drooped. Neal hated to admit it but he was exhausted, and choosing to pause made him realise that he wouldn’t mind falling asleep at the side of the road.

The distant chime of a bell startled him awake.

Jerking his head up, still stooped over, he stared down the road. “What the-?” Neal was about to shake it off as another figment of his imagination, but the bell sounded again, sounding nearer and heavier. Blinking he hurried forward, following the slight dip of the road. He nearly groaned as he made the bottom, finding only more sand and pavement. Rolling his eyes, throwing his arms up, he opened his mouth, about to voice his frustrations to the uncaring night, but with a twist to his left and an upward thrust of his chin he silenced himself.

It wasn’t a house that he had spotted, but the crumbling foundations of one. On one hand it was a chilling omen, that if a house couldn’t survive out here that they had no chance, but still, someone once called this empty land a home. There was some hope.

His feet slid over sand and dirt as he abandoned the road, quietly approaching the house. Maybe he would find something up there that could give him an idea where they were, if there was a better route to take to find help. The thoughts encouraged his steps, carrying him faster; in his haste he missed a good-sized rock that was in his way. With an undignified yelp his foot hooked under it, bringing his face inches away from another large rock. Muttering to himself Neal pushed himself to his hands and knees, only to have his stomach jump into his chest as he noticed writing on the rock. Pulse racing he threw himself backwards, a rock jabbing into his lower back. His gaze jumped one way then another, taking in the uniform rows of rocks he sat between, his heart-beat quickening with all that he read.

To our beloved Elisabeth.

Harold.

Maria.

Richard.

1917-1920

1877 - 1923

RIP.

Not trusting his feet to work he scurried out on his hands and knees between the small tombstones, nearly banging his knee in the process. Chest tight with fright and lack of air he inhaled shakily, pushing himself further away from the cemetery. His back collided with the foundations and he shook, realising that he wasn’t up against a house like he originally thought. He was leaning against the remains of a church, and that made him shake even more. The destruction of a house was saddening enough, but for a church to lie in rubble was just... horrifying. How could it have happened? Who would have let it happen?

*

With a huff of pain, struggling for breath, Alice collapsed to his knees, sending up a plume of sand. He shouldn’t have been running, his aching ribs told him that much, but seeing the girl standing behind Glen – those same wide eyes staring at him just like she had stared at him and the car – he couldn’t let her disappear again. He had hit her; he had to make sure that she was alright. She must have been, seeing how quickly she was able to run ahead. How on earth a little girl with tiny legs could out-run him he didn’t know, but it had happened. He had lost track of her just as suddenly as she had appeared.

With a moan he planted one foot on the ground, bracing himself with his hands on his thigh; he pushed himself up into a full stand. Swaying on his feet Alice struggled to get air into his lungs. The cold air felt wonderful on his flushed face, helping him to concentrate. Wetting his lips he waited another minute longer before walking in the direction he presumed the girl had gone in. She had pretty much taken a straight route since they both started running, he didn’t stop to consider she might deviate from her path.

His ribs continued to hurt but he paid little attention to them now, focussing on his surroundings. The road was far behind him, and where he walked the sand jumped in every direction around his feet, catching in the breeze. The few rocks that were scattered around him were getting bigger and bigger as he got closer to the mountains. That shelter seemed to make the air even colder. Alice rubbed his hands over his arms, blowing on his fingers from time to time.

Blinking he trudged on. He had to keep going, he owed it to everyone. He was the one who crashed the car, so he would be the one to find someone to help them, to get them to a hospital. An unattractive snuffle later, Alice had to laugh. His nose wasn’t the most attractive thing in the first place, now it must look even worse. His fingers ghosted up to his face, just barely brushing over the bridge. In spite of the pain he couldn’t help but grin. His fingers crept down to his mouth, nails scratching and freeing some of the dried up blood. With a waggle of his fingers the dried up blood fell to the ground, blending in with the sand.

_You shall live as many years as how many grains of sand you can hold in your hand._

The words from a long forgotten English lesson pushed to the forefront of his mind. The peace of the night lent a grace to his movements as he bowed down, palm curved up to the sky. His fingertips brushed over the sand, still dipping as he brought his hand closer to the ground, but instead his hand flew back up to his face, beyond his control, colliding fast and hard to his nose. Half-groaning, half-shouting Alice teetered backwards, out of his bowed position until he was sitting on his calves. “Sonnovva--” Choking on a sob he curled his hand into a fist, biting his lip as a fresh rush of blood poured over his mouth. 

He couldn’t see anything past the flash of white in his wet eyes. Groaning and cursing he squeezed his eyes shut, stopping only when he felt something small and cold pressing against his hand. Blinking he struggled to get a proper look through his tears, only to see a white silhouette of a girl against the backdrop of the night, his little speed-demon, car-crashing girl. 

The girl withdrew her hand, shaking her head as she spoke, but what she said he couldn’t make out.

Alice parted his lips in confusion, only to cringe as he tasted his blood. “I’m sorry, I missed what you said. Can you say that again?”

Her mouth moved again, but no sound came out. She nodded her head slightly, encouraging as she stared at him expectantly. Shoulders sinking guiltily Alice sighed. “I – I can’t hear you.”

Her stare changed from expectant to one of disbelief. Chest heaving with a dramatic sigh she shook her head. She extended her hand again, this time curling her fingers around Alice’s hand, pulling gamely to get him to stand. His hand paled in hers, turning as icy cold as the girl’s. The English lesson that had enjoyed its moment of revival scurried back into the cobwebs of his mind, panic taking its turn at the helm. It did nothing to steer him away though, as his feet complied without question to the girl’s silent urgings, following her lead. “Where are we going?”

Alice didn’t need any words to interpret the wide smile the girl gave him, showing him a void that was darker than the sky where teeth, tongue and gums should have been.

He was screwed.

**Author's Note:**

> I claim no ownership of "Get Back." "Get Back" was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and originally performed by the Beatles. Incidentally this is an anachronism that I didn't catch the first time around. _Let It Be_ was released in May 1970 and Alice Cooper were likely no longer a Los Angeles based band by that time.


End file.
